How was Chayenu started?

Two South African Jewish businessmen were on an airplane (this is not a joke!) on their way to explore a lucrative venture in the oil business.

Although they are real-estate developers by profession, this deal seemed too good to pass up.

One of the two is a comitted Lubavitcher. On the plane, he pulls out his Dvar Malchus to learn Chitas and Rambam, a Sichah, etc.

The other partner, a traditional Jew with a geshmak in the mitzvah of tzedakah, asks, “Hey, Mendel, what’s that?”

“Oh, it’s a weekly booklet with a huge selection of learning on the weekly Parshah, Rambam, and other things– all in one convenient pocket-size magazine. It’s really handy, especially when you’re traveling.”

“Can you please get me the English version?” asks Louis.

“Sorry, Louis,” says Mendel. “It doesn’t exist.”

“What do you mean, it doesn’t exist? Why not?”

“Well, this is a major undertaking. You need to negotiate with lots of publishers to get copyright permission, and printing is a big expense funding. The Dvar Malchus was funded for many years by the well-known philanthropist Levi Leviev.”

“Well, if it doesn’t exist, then let’s create it!” says Louis quite spontaneously. “In fact,” he continues, “if the deal we are looking to make now comes through and this venture succeeds, we’ll fund it from the profits.”

And so it was that Louis Pearlman and Mendel Goldman of Pretoria, South Africa, came to be the founders of Chayenu.

Chayenu Founders- Mendel Goldman and Louis Perleman

(In the end, that particular investment didn’t materialize, but Chayenu got seed money and substantial, ongoing support from a charitable trust that Pearlman and Goldman set up in Johannesburg to fund educational organizations.)